My Pages in the Book Storytelling with Collage

I took a photo of my pages of the piece I did for Roxanne Evans Stout's book Storytelling with Collage.
I was very excited to get two pages. The other guest artists in the book are wonderful as are Roxanne's photos and her easy to understand instruction. You can buy this book on Amazon. XOXO

Great News

This beautiful book by Roxanne Evans Stout can now be pre ordered on Amazon.
I am honored to have one of my collage paintings included in the book.
It has been a long time coming and now the wait is almost over, not until December, but you can pre order it now, go HERE.
Happy Autumn! My favorite time of the year.XOXO

Sneak Peek-Exciting News

Remember when I told you I was working on a secret project? I have been given the go ahead to share a sneak peek and let you in on a bit of the news. The beautiful, wonderful artist Roxanne Evans Stout
has invited me along with a number of other artists to create a collage for an upcoming book she is doing.
I finished my collage and I have been told I can share a detail of the piece, so here is my sneak peek.
It is going to be a while, but I will let you know as soon as the book comes out. I am so honored to be included.
In the meantime I am painting and will have things to share soon.
Happy Summer.
XOXO

Finding Great Joy in Small Wonders

I thought I would share some small pleasures with you:

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery is one of the most wonderful books I have ever read and that is saying a lot. Do yourself a favor and check it out. Note, it is not about hedgehogs :-).

Bored to Death on HBO. I don't get TV (no cable or satellite), but my friend W puts this series on DVD for me and I love it. Be warned there is sex and drugs, but it has a sweetness that runs through it and it is FUNNY!!!! HBO just cancelled it though. Poop.

My Tumblr blog

Painting is of course one of my favorite joys and I am working on many.
I have decided to send for a light cube, so hopefully soon I can start sharing some of what I have been doing.

Have a most wonderful weekend!!!
XOXO

Book Love and an Early Animal Wednesday

Kj, sent the book she wrote to Lori, lovely Lori sent it to me. I loved it! It is a must read for all romantics. Soulful and beautifully written about a married woman with kids who falls in love with another woman and also gets cancer. It is sad, but has it's happy moments too. To me it is about listening to your heart and being true to yourself no matter what. I will be passing it on to Becky, who will pass it on as well...If you would like to buy Kj's book, go HERE.

This is Zoe, my new cat. She has become a real member of the family and she is a doll baby :-).

Thank you everyone for prayers and good thoughts for Spike, he seems a tiny bit better and at least is not getting worse. Keep saying those prayers.

And just a reminder, my 15% off Spring sale in my ETSY shop is over in 3 days! Just type chick in the coupon window at check out to get the 15% off all items. Happy Week!! XOXO

BOOK LOVE

Yesterday I bought a new book "Infinite Jest" by David Foster Wallace, I have been reading short stories and essays of his and decided it was time to read his masterpiece. I had heard it was hard, so I had been putting it off, but I finally took the plunge. I was shocked to find out how large the book is , with footnotes (and there are many) the book runs 1079 pages! In the forward, they say that many people buy the book, but few read it, now I was really scared, but I
gathered my courage and began, and I am in love. Can a book be challenging and funny and sad and smart and witty and odd and wonderful, all at once, Yes! I want to know if any of you out there have read it? I am only on page 33, they are large pages with tiny print, and I do not read fast, I savor every word, so it will likely take me many weeks to finish this book and I am in no rush. I will paint today before I start reading, though I must confess I snuck it back to bed with me this morning for an hour. "Infinite Jest" is not for everyone, it is strange and obsessive and genius, I love it more than I can say. How I wish David Foster Wallace was still with us to write many more like it. I will keep you posted on how this adventure goes. For those writers out there, this is a must read! Happy Monday!!!! XOXO

Down the Rabbit Hole

I told you that I was ordering a book that I thought could help me with my stinky relationship with money called "Busting Loose from the Money Game" by Robert Scheinfeld. I finished the book on Sunday and I have to say I found it fun and mind altering. First, let me tell you this book is not for the faint of heart. It puts forth ideas that while I have heard them before, I thought of them as theories, not truth. The biggest one is that the world we see is just a hologram, that our higher selves or expanded selves have created for fun and challenge. Now, I am having lots of fun with that idea, but you can do the work in this book even if you can't totally believe that theory.
The really hard part is the fact that things could get really scary and bumpy while you do the work of changing your patterns or beliefs. I am shaking in my boots, but you know what? I am brave and I am going to go for it, because I have nothing to lose and every thing to gain. This book is not really about getting rich, it is about being free. Some strange things have already happened since I started doing the process, which can take up to a year or two to be completed, and may never be completed! You have to read the book to see what I am talking about, because it would be too hard to relay it all to you where it made sense without quoting the whole book :-).
I plan on doing the work and when something really bizarre happens I will tell you about it and also give you progress reports, although we are not to look for outcomes in this work, there are bound to be some :-). I wish I could tell you more, but like I say this stuff is really hard to put into words. Just, please pray for me because I think it may be a wild ride :-). If any of you buy the book, please let me know so we can talk about it! Happy Thursday! XOXO

Books that Changed My Life

I am still waiting for the book I ordered ("Busting Loose From the Money Game") to show up.
I am expecting great things from this book and it got me thinking about other books that have changed my life. The list is too long to give you all of them, but I thought I would give you highlights and work from the past to the present.
"The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D Salinger
"The Razor's Edge" by W. Somerset Maugham
Both these book were for me so important and taught me how to live from my soul and to always be true to myself above all else. To be authentic. They remain two of my favorite books.
All the books by Carlos Castaneda. I read them all in my late Twenties and I loved them. Regardless if you believe them to be true or made up, they are mind altering. I learned more from Don Juan than almost any other spiritual teacher.
Ditto for the Seth book "The Nature of Personal Reality" By Jane Roberts. I read ALL the Seth books and adored them, but this was and is my favorite.
As for non-spiritual books I loved during this same time period, there is "A Little Original Sin" By Jane Bowles (Paul Bowles wife). I fell in love with her and Paul and read all their works. They were true Bohemians and they lived a life full of adventure. It is because of them that I want to visit Tangier's. At the same time I read "A literate Passion" by Anais Nin and Henry Miller, these were letters they wrote to one another. They too taught me to live my life true to myself.
Another book that meant a lot, just because it was strange and wonderful is "The Search for Omm Sety" by Johnathan Cott. This is a love story like no other and is based on a true story.
It opened my mind and showed me that anything was possible!
Then there is ANYTHING by Shakespeare. He was so wise and I have learned so much from him over the years.
And last but never least is a book I read 6 months ago (twice) and will likely read many more times before I leave this earth "When Fear Falls Away" by Jan Frazier. A beautiful book about being awake.
I hope you all enjoy this post and follow the links and perhaps learn about books you have never heard of or remember old favorites.
Happy Friday! XOXO